Charcoal and the unwelcome return, chapters 9&10
by Hope-and-Roses
Summary: la la la, you get the idea...


Chapt 9

"Huh?" Said Charcoal, staring dumbly at the screen, "Do you like, know my SIDRAT?"

I AM NOT A MERE TELEVISION. The screen wrote, I AM GALLIFREY.

"As in the planet or the news station?" Said Charcoal with her mouth wide open.

THE PLANET. EVERY PLANET HAS A SUBCONSCIOUS. EVEN EARTH, BUT THE HUMANS HAVE STOPPED LISTENING TO THIERS, WELL EXCEPT FOR THOSE WEIRD GREENPEACE PEOPLE…

"Um, sorry for being a bit blonde here," said Charcoal, "But let me get this straight. You are Gallifrey's subconscious and you are talking to me through the T.V because…?" She trailed off, waiting for an answer.

I HAVE BEEN LOOKING AFTER MYSELF FOR ALMOST SIX HUNDRED YEARS, SO THAT WHEN THE TIME LORDS GET BACK I WILL BE ABLE TO LOOK AFTER THEM.

"Sooo," Charcoal thought out loud, "I have a whole planet trying to look after me, just me…" She trailed off again and sat their with her eyes wide, "Could I get a non fat latte? This tea so doesn't cut it for me…" A steaming mug appeared out of nowhere. She sipped it and gave the T.V a thumbs up.

WHERE ARE THE OTHER TIME LORDS?

"Others?" Charcoal said awkwardly, "Actually there's only two of us left but…"

WHO ELSE IS LEFT? MALE OR FEMALE?

"It's the Doctor, he's a guy, but don't even go there." She stared warningly at the screen.

SO IN THE WHOLE UNIVERSE MY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN REDUCED TO THE GRAND TOTAL OF… TWO.

"Yup," replied Charcoal, "up to about three moths ago I thought it was only one though, as I had no idea the Doctor even existed!"

OH. RIGHT. GREAT.

It seemed to Charcoal that the planet that she called home was going to have a slight problem adjusting to it's new, reduced population.

The Doctor and Rose had been surfing the internet all afternoon for any signs of Cybermen activity, but everywhere they had looked just drew blanks. Both of them were getting snappy and annoyed, so it came as a relief when the phone rang. They both dived for it but rose won by digging her nails into the Doctor's hand. He cursed and slunk off as Rose pressed the call receive button.

"Hiya!" she said.

"Hello? Um PC Tyler? It's Mrs Jones here."

"Oh hi Mrs Jones, I'm sorry, we haven't found anything about Suki, but we will keep looking…"

"No," cut in Mrs Jones, "Suki has come home, but I'm worried about her. She went straight up to her room and hasn't spoken to anyone since. I think something must have happened. Could you come and see her?" The Doctor was watching Rose with interest, but she ignored him.

"Sure, we'll be right round." Rose said brightly before hanging up. Then she turned to the Doctor.

"Suki's home," she said, "But there's something not quite right about her according to her mum…" The Doctor had already walked out of the door.

GOOD LUCK AND ALL THAT. Said the SIDRAT. I CAN GUESS WHAT'S WRONG WITH HER. SHE'S NOW SIX FOOT HIGH AND MADE OF METAL! But Rose had gone too.

"Suki, honey? There are some people here to see you." Mrs Jones knocked worriedly on her daughter's bedroom door, then turned to the Doctor and Rose. "I'm ever so worried about her."

"Yes," said Rose, putting am arm around the woman's shoulders, "So are we, but don't worry, as soon as we find out what's wrong we'll be able to help her." Only the Doctor noticed that Rose had her fingers crossed behind her back.

"Suki, if you don't open this door then we'll have to open it for you." The Doctor called through the door. When there was still no answer he pulled out the sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the lock.

"Uh, it's like a laser pen," Rose tried to explain to a bemused Mrs Jones, "It kind of, uh, makes the lock flick open, uh, by using, um, magnets…" She wasn't going tell her what it really was, even if her daughter could be a cyberman.

With a small click the door swung open and the Doctor stepped slowly inside. Throughout his time he had seen inside many girl's bedrooms, and this one wasn't any different. There were posters of singers and actors on the lilac walls, and the room smelt faintly of perfume. The desk was a dumping ground for textbooks, letters, pens and random bits of jewellery. The dressing table was no better, with mountains of eye shadows, lipsticks, mascara's and every other type of cosmetic known to man, and many only known to women. Suki, or something that looked very much like Suki, was sitting slouched on the bed. The Doctor knew that something was up; what teenage girl wouldn't even look around when someone burst into her room? Suki looked almost paralysed.

Carefully, ready to spring away at any second, the Doctor sat on the bed next to Suki. She didn't seem to notice. Rose and Mrs Jones stood in the doorway, watching intently. The Doctor stretched out a hand and shook the girl. To his surprise she hardly moved. Her skin was cold, but obviously not made of metal. She was completely rigid and the Doctor wondered if she was dead, he couldn't see her breathing.

"Suki? Can you hear me? I'm…" he began.

"I know who you are." Suki's voice sounded the same to Rose and Mrs Jones, but it made the Doctor shiver. The human's hearing was basic, and so they couldn't hear what the Doctor could, mainly the fact that this voice was computerised. It was far more metallic than a human voice and there was no way that it could have come from Suki's voice box. The Doctor started to back off. "You are the Doctor." The being pretending to be Suki said. The Doctor froze.

"No Suki honey, he's not a doctor, he's a policeman…" Mrs Jones began. The Suki look a like turned around and lifted her hand towards her mother. Out of the end of her finger shot a flash of blue light and Mrs Jones crumpled to the floor, dead.

Chapt 10

Charcoal wandered the empty streets of Gallifrey on her own. She couldn't decide whether she was freaked out or happy to be back on the planet she loved, but she was there, and she was stuck with it. She wondered how the Doctor and Rose were getting on, if they'd discovered what was going on, and when they would be there to pick her up. With a twinge of sadness she realised that if they had needed her at all they would have been back already. Suddenly she began to panic. What if they were in trouble and couldn't get back to her? Or couldn't find her? Charcoal sat down heavily on a bench that looked out over a large park. Horrid thoughts of what could be keeping the doctor and Rose kept flashing through her head, until one cut above the rest. Maybe they'd forgotten about her. Maybe the Doctor and Rose were so wrapped up in their little universe that Charcoal had been forgotten completely. _Just like Mickey and Jackie._ Her brain added for good measure.

"Shut up brain." Muttered Charcoal, holding her head in her hands, "I gotta get back. I have to."

CyberSuki stared coldly at the dead corpse of her mother on the floor. The Doctor edged away from CyberSuki until he was next to Rose.

"What have they done to you?" he breathed, studying Suki's slumped form and empty eyes. His mind seemed to be working at a million miles an hour, but the rest of him was struggling to keep up. It was as if an emotion inhibitor had been put in Suki, but what would be the point in that? The Cybers whole purpose was to find a way to upgrade bodies, not suppress minds. And more to the point, who had done this to Suki? Were there more out there, or was Suki a one off?

"Suki Jones? Can you hear me?" asked the Doctor, still carefully watching the girl.

"_There is no Suki Jones. I am Cyber2.0." _The voice was metallic and cold. Rose breathed in sharply. The Doctor looked stunned.

"So… so, uh, what's new?" he stuttered. The Cyber2.0 did something totally uncharacteristic.

"You'll just have to wait and see!" it said with a mischievous grin and a wink, before teleporting out of the room, leaving Rose, the Doctor and Mrs Jones dead body alone in the room.

"Well," said the Doctor after a few minutes, "There's something you don't see every day. So much for Cybers won't progress."

"Yes," said Rose, "But how have the progressed?"

"_So the Doctor knows about us? Good, well done Cyber2.0."_ CyberLumic was sitting in his metallic throne when CyberSuki teleported into the room. He couldn't believe how successful the plan was. The Doctor now knew that something was up, and he'd panic about it, or at least try to work something out, but he had no idea of the extent of the Cyber2.0's power. Now he could create more, an army of perfect people. CyberLumic laughed hysterically.

"_They're all here." _CyberSuki walked over to Lumic and he pressed a button. A huge door in the metal wall opened and a train of frightened people stumbled in. Suki got onto a platform and talked to the people as had been arranged.

"There's nothing to worry about," she said in her disguised voice, "Just go in here," she gestured to a door, "and it'll will all be over in a few minutes." The people all thought they were there for vaccine jabs. They all walked placidly into the killing machine, like lambs into a slaughterhouse. CyberLumic watched all of the people with disinterest. He saw the men, women and even children walk past and didn't move.

CyberSuki on the other hand could feel something inside her stirring. She stared as a little girl no older that three years old smiled up at her before walking through the door to her death. Soon screams filled the air, and Suki felt sick. She knew there was something was wrong with what CyberLumic was doing, but for the life of her she didn't know what. The people who hadn't yet gone through the door were now panicking and screaming.

"Suki, Suki, Suki!" Suki looked down to where someone was calling her name. A boy with blond hair and dark eyes was calling up to her. He looked just as terrified as the rest of them, but Suki saw that he had hope, hope that she would save him. She watched as the crowds pushed him nearer and nearer the door. He was still screaming her name, but she couldn't think clearly, something was clouding her mind.

Suddenly something in her snapped. In a horrific whirl of colour she saw what was happening. That boy was Harry, her best friend in the world. Her mind was spinning. She knew what had happened to her, she was made of artificial flesh and metal, she had killed her mother, she was an experiment, she was no longer human. With the thoughts came a wave of emotions, so strong that it almost knocked her down. She knew what had happened, the emotional inhibitor had broken. She stood up and watched the new Cyber2.0's walking in smart lines out of the machine. She saw the little girl from earlier, now in cold cyber form. She saw Harry, his face completely blank. She knew that her emotions should be killing her, but she could only feel one thing. Pure fury.

With the anger roaring in her ears she turned to CyberLumic, who hadn't seen any of this. She looked at him. He was the one responsible for this. She pointed the laser gun at the metal head and spoke.

"I hate you. You are an old model, who, in your words, needs to be deleted." The last thing CyberLumic knew was a wave of fear so strong, that her was dead before the laser beam hit him.

CyberSuki turned to the crowds who were looking impassively up at the action. Cyber2.0's could talk to each other using thought waves, so she blasted the whole room with her anger. Every inhibitor snapped and every cyber in the room was consumed by hate, anger and disgust at everything and everyone. Suki laughed.

"I am your leader and together we will get our revenge!" She had no idea what she was going to do, but she knew that if she couldn't be human, then no one could.


End file.
